Ekal Patta case: SC revisits probe against Dhariwal, govt officials – Times of India

JAIPUR: A division bench of the Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the Rajasthan high court’s decision to dismiss the criminal proceedings against former UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal and senior UDH and Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) officials in the “Ekal Patta” case, which involves alleged corruption and procedural violations in the issuance of a lease deed for valuable land in Jaipur.
The bench, comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujwal Bhuyan, has ordered the high court to re-evaluate the case from all angles. The order came a day after the Bhajan Lal Sharma-led BJP govt, altering its stance, requested to set aside the previous high court judgement in this case.
Additional advocate general (AAG) Shiv Mangal Shar-ma, who represented the state govt, told TOI, “Former JDA officials granted approval for a land lease to one M/s Ganpati Constructions, which was earlier rejected by the UDH department. It was alleged that the rules were overlooked and the land deed was issued and rejected a few times.”
During the hearing, the apex court examined whether the Rajasthan high court’s quashing of the proceedings and its permission to withdraw prosecution were justified. Sharma, during the proceedings, argued that the high court’s orders should not be sustained and that the case required adjudication based on merit as significant facts and allegations remained unresolved.
“We requested the Supreme Court to get a comprehen-sive review of the case done as the Rajasthan high court, while granting relief to Dhariwal and others, including the then UDH principal secretary GS Sandhu, lacked a comprehensive review of the facts,” Sharma added.
After hearing the arguments, the Supreme Court, setting aside the previous two orders of the high court, directed it to conduct a fresh, unbiased review of the entire case, including all evidence and procedural details. The apex court has also requested the chief justice of the Rajasthan high court to ensure meticulous handling of the re-evaluation, reinforcing the judicial stance on transparency and accountability. “The high court has been directed to complete its re-examination in six months,” Sharma said.